Flora of New Zealand Series

≡*Nesolechia punctum A. Massal., Sched. Crit. 5: 96 (1856).

=*Lecidea cladonioica Nyl., Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séances Acad. Sci. Paris, sér. D, 83: 90 (1876).

Lecidea cladonioica. Holotype: New Zealand. "Herb. Mus. Paris. Expédition astronomique à l'île Campbell, 1874, M. Filhol". – H-NYL 10984.

Description : Lichenicolous, occasionally inducing gall-like formations. Apothecia small, dark-brown to blackish, glossy, turgescent, distinctly marginate, 0.1–0.25(–0.3) mm diam., plane, sessile, crowded, rounded, partly confluent. Exciple laterally to 10–20 μm thick, dark-brown to brown-black. Hypothecium brown, 20–35 μm thick. Hymenium 35–40(–45) μm tall, colourless to pale-brown; epithecium dark-brown to brown-black, 5–10 μm thick. Asci subcylindrical, (30–)35–50 × 7.5–8.5 μm, ascus wall apically 1–2.5 μm thick, laterally 1–1.5 μm thick, I+ pale-blue. Ascospores ellipsoidal, (7–)8.5–10.5(–12) × 2.5–3.5(–4) μm.

C: Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Venezuela, Brazil and Australia (Rambold & Triebel 1990; Purvis et al. 1992: 334 – as Lecidea punctum; Santesson 1993; Scholz 2000; Aptroot 2002e; Kukwa 2002c; Hawksworth 2003; Diederich 2003, 2004h; Santesson et al. 2004; Zhurbenko & Alstrup 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Host : Cladonia usutula. Also known outside New Zealand from Cladonia bacillaris, C. chlorophaea, C. coccifera, C. coniocraea, C. fimbriata, C. ochrochlora, C. macilenta, C. norvegica, C. portentosa ssp. pacifica, C. subradiata and C. umbricola. [A key to all known cladoniicolous fungi is given by Zhurbenko & Alstrup (2004).]

Illustration : Rambold & Triebel (1990: 382, fig. 3C; 383, fig. 4).

* Phaeopyxis punctum is characterised by: the lichenicolous habit; dark-brown to black, sometimes gall-forming apothecia infecting primary squamules of Cladonia ustulata; the I+ pale-blue ascus wall; and the colourless, simple, ellipsoidal ascospores, (7–)8.5–10.5(–12.5) × 2.5–3.5(–4) μm.